1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laundry machine such as a washing machine or a clothes dryer, and more particularly, to a laundry machine having a wireless communicating controller therein. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for configuring a controller with a main control unit and an input or display unit separated from the main control unit and performing wireless data communications between the main control unit and the input unit or the display unit.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a washing machine is a mechanical device that performs a washing cycle, a rinsing cycle, a dewatering cycle, and the like by rotating a drum or pulsator via a driving force of a motor. After laundry and water have been put into a drum, they are agitated to perform washing using the frictions between the laundry, water and drum.
Washing machines can be classified into a pulsator type washing machine, an agitator type washing machine, a drum type washing machine, and the like.
The drum type washing machine is a device that performs washing using a friction between a washing drum and laundry while a detergent, water and laundry are put into the washing drum. In this case, the washing drum is rotated by receiving a driving force of a driving part. Hence, the drum type washing machine is advantageous in causing less damage on the laundry, preventing the ravel of the laundry, and bringing washing effects of beating and rubbing.
FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram of a drum type washing machine according to a related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, a controller 3 is provided to an upper part of a front side of a body of a drum type washing machine. In this case, the controller 3 includes function input keys for user's washing controls and a display unit displaying a remaining time and the like.
A plurality of buttons 31, a display window 32, an LED window 33 and a rotary knob 50 are provided to the controller 3. Each of the buttons 31 and the rotary knob 50 are input tools to operate the washing machine. A user manipulates the buttons 31 and the knob 50 to input a specific washing course and time and the like in selecting a washing time, a washing type, a dewatering type, a drying type, etc.
The LED window 33 informs a user of various kinds of washing information such as a washing progress status, a remaining time and the like via flickering. And, the display window 32 informs a user of various kinds of washing information such as a washing progress status, a remaining time and the like via characters and symbols.
If a user selects the washing type or the like via the rotary knob 50 and/or the buttons 31, a main control unit of the controller 3 controls washing associated information to be displayed on the LED window 33 or the display window 32 and controls the washing machine to be operated according to the inputted information.
Meanwhile, a clothes dryer is a mechanical device that automatically dries wet clothes after completion of washing. And, like the drum type washing machine shown in FIG. 1, a clothes dryer according to a related art is provided with a controller including an input means, a display means, a main control unit and the like.
Since the controller is provided to an upper part of a body of the related art washing machine or clothes dryer, if the washing machine or clothes dryer is installed at a high level far from a position where a user stands, the user has difficulty in accessing the controller. Hence, the user is inconvenient in using the controller. And, there is another inconvenience for a user to view a display unit by raising his head to observe a corresponding state displayed on the display unit.
In case that the washing machine and the clothes dryer are arranged parallel to each other at a relatively lower place, the user will not have trouble using the controllers which are located to the upper part of the machines. However, if one of the washing machine and the clothes dryer is placed at a high place, for example on top of the other, the user is expected to have trouble using the controller of the one which is placed at a high place.
Besides, in the controller of the related art washing machine or clothes dryer, data communications between the main control unit and input unit or the display unit are carried out by wire communication. In the related art, communication lines are mandatory for the wire communication. And, the wire communication also makes the arrangement of the communication lines so complicated that the main control unit, the input unit, and the display unit are preferred to be put near one another.
With the wire communication, 29 electric wires are generally necessarily used for making electrical connections among them. It is very time-consuming to put the number of wires in electrical connection to the units.
After completion of connecting the electric wires to assemble the controller, it is very inconvenient to treat the controller, since the units of the controller need to be moved together. Sometimes, it is necessary to remove from the machine one unit of the controller. In this case, the wires cause inconvenience, too. In particular, in case that one unit of the controller needs to be moved, the inconvenience becomes worse. Moreover, if the input unit or the display unit moves to be placed in another position, the wire communication system is inappropriate.
Besides, since the washing machine or the clothes dryer is in a close relation to water, the electric wires within the machines should be treated to prevent short circuit by water.